Uniting Two Companies on Day One: A Post-Merger All-Hands for 450 Employees
SERVICES DELIVERED
CONTEXT
Two of the UK's leading employee benefits businesses had recently merged. With 450 employees coming together under one roof for the first time, the brief was to do more than mark the occasion. The client needed the day to remove the "us and them" dynamic, introduce the newly unified business to employees and partner organisations, and end as a genuine celebration. The event also needed to work for remote, London-based, and international attendees.
A post-merger all-hands carries a particular kind of tension. Employees arrive carrying their previous company identity — loyalties to old cultures, old ways of working. Many will be cautiously curious about the people on the other side of the room. Any activity that feels too forced or too corporate risks reinforcing exactly the distance it is trying to close.
The programme also had to serve multiple functions in a single day. Leadership needed to communicate the direction of the merged business. Partner organisations needed their own visible moment. The evening needed to transition naturally from conference to celebration without losing the energy built earlier.
With attendees travelling from across the UK and internationally, logistics had to be invisible. Any operational friction would work against the atmosphere the client was trying to create.
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Stacked Events recommended Atrium Hotel at Heathrow as the venue specifically because of its central position for remote, London-based, and international guests. Removing travel as a source of friction before the day began was the first structural decision.
For the conference, a fully branded stage, large screens, and dynamic lighting were installed to give leadership presentations the production weight they required. A compere specialising in employee wellness ran the full programme — steering sessions, managing energy, and hosting the CEO Q&A. This meant the day was directed by someone whose skill set was matched to the specific challenge of keeping a large, mixed audience genuinely engaged.
The networking element was designed to break down unfamiliarity through low-stakes competition. The Enboarder app turned meeting new colleagues into a points-based game. Employees scanned QR codes on their lanyards to discover facts about colleagues, answer questions, and compete for prizes. The format made introductions feel like a reason to explore the room, not a duty.
An exhibition area featuring ten partner organisations — including Currys, John Lewis, and Tusker — sat alongside racing simulators and electric car showcases. This gave the day a second active layer alongside the conference, and gave partners dedicated time with the newly combined workforce for the first time. A graduation ceremony in the afternoon recognised employee achievements across both legacy businesses, before the evening reception: welcome drinks, a buffet dinner, a branded photo booth, a live six-piece band, and a DJ.
450 employees attended the full programme, covering the morning conference, an interactive panel, the partner exhibition, a graduation ceremony, and the evening reception. The Enboarder networking game ran throughout the day and produced genuine cross-company introductions — employees who had never spoken left with names, context, and points.
The partner exhibition drew consistent footfall across the day, with ten exhibitors reaching the full combined workforce in one session for the first time. Post-event photography and video, including updated leadership headshots, were delivered by the on-site production crew.
This year's events couldn't have gone better!
IF THIS FEELS RELEVANT
Planning a post-merger all-hands or company launch event?
Stacked Events works with UK businesses to design and deliver all-hands events that close the gap between two workforces. Tell us about your brief and we'll share relevant examples and initial thinking within 48 hours.